Why did Nesta Silvera, Andrew Chatfield bring Chucky to Signing Day?

Chatfield informed the Gators coaches of his plans during the weekend and had Chucky ready to join him on stage and announce
his plans. The 4-star weakside defensive end had an extra one for Silvera, too.

Chatfield brought it to American Heritage School on Wednesday anyway. The two defensive linemen weren’t going to be able to
use them to jointly announce their plans to keep playing together, so they got creative. They discussed potential ideas and
eventually settled on Silvera keeping it on the stage all morning in Plantation.

It made some Miami fans nervous — former Florida linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. famously carried a Chucky doll around — and some
Gators fans figured the 4-star defensive tackle was just trolling.

Instead, it became something even more exciting to keep the two defensive stars tied together even as they go their separate
ways in college. Silvera kept the doll in front of him when he followed through, rather uneventfully, with his commitment
to the Hurricanes.

Then came Chatfield’s turn. After a brief delay so the commitment could be announced on ESPNU, Chatfield briefly picked up
a Miami hat before pushing it aside. The defensive end then reached below the table to retrieve a Chucky doll of his own,
donning a Florida hat.

“I was just like, you know what, I’ll bring it anyway,” Chatfield told DieHards. “It shows my love and whatever we do, we
do it hard.”

Silvera tied it back to the movies Chucky is featured. Beyond just being a reference to Fowler, the 6-foot-2, 295-pound senior
feels it’s symbolic.

“That’s just a way for us to stay connected because this has been my brother forever. This is my dog,” Silvera told DieHards.
“We’re going to two different schools, far from each other, so every time we step on the field, it’s just how we’re going
to rock. Savages.”

For Miami fans who may not follow recruiting until Signing Day, the whole show at American Heritage was a fitting introduction
to Silvera. The prospect, ranked No. 2 at his position by the 247Sports composite rankings, is defined by his larger-than-life
personality as much as anything.

Roxan Nugent, Silvera’s mother, said the defensive lineman gets his personality from her. Some people posing for photos with
Chatfield and Silvera asked to get Chucky out of the pictures. To Nugent, it was just a fitting cap to an outstanding high
school career.

“That’s Jade,” Nugent said, using her son’s nickname. “That’s all I have to say — that’s Jade.”